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Thursday, February 26, 2009

Barefoot Bloggers - Meringues Chantilly

I was excited to try the current Barefoot Bloggers' selection of Meringues Chantilly selected by BMK of Reservations Not Required because it is the type of recipe I might admire but never try. It just seem so fancy and complicated. I make meringue cookies every Christmas and these are nothing more than larger versions of that recipe. The meringues were easy to mix and I had so much fun piping them that I am looking for recipes to use a piping bag again - maybe profiteroles!

Berries are not in season so I decided to do an upside down-deconstructed lemon megingue pie. My husband loves the lemon meringue pie I usually make but I wanted to come up with something more creative and push myself on this challenge. I used the meringues as the base, or crust, and topped them with lemon curd using a recipe I found at fineliving.com. This curd recipe has a rich, creamy consistency and the just-right amount of tartness. I considered crumbled shortbread cookies as the final layer but ended up using refrigerated pie dough cut with a cookie cutter, brushed with egg wash and topped with torbinado sugar. A few minutes in the oven and I had a spin on the pie crust of a tradtional lemon pie. The raw sugar also added another level of crunch. A dollop of whipped cream added the right balance for the sweetness of the meringues and the tartness of the curd.

I was thrilled with the final product! They were so good - simple yet elegant. My husband loved them too!

DirectionsPreheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a small glass and a pencil, draw 6 (3 1/2-inch) circles on each piece of paper. Turn the paper face-down on the baking sheets.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites, cream of tartar, and a large pinch of salt on medium speed until frothy. Add 1 cup of the sugar and raise the speed to high until the egg whites form very stiff peaks. Whisk in the vanilla. Carefully fold the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar into the meringue. With a large star - shaped pastry tip, pipe a disc of meringue inside each circle. Pipe another layer around the edge to form the sides of the shells.

Bake for 2 hours, or until the meringues are dry and crisp but not browned. Turn off the heat and allow the meringues to sit in the oven for 4 hours or overnight.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer, about 2 min. Slowly add the eggs and yolks. Beat for 1 min. Mix in the lemon juice. The mixture will look curdled, but it will smooth out as it cooks.

In a medium, heavy-based saucepan, cook the mixture over low heat until it looks smooth. (The curdled appearance disappears as the butter in the mixture melts.) Increase the heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 15 min. It should leave a path on the back of a spoon and will read 170°F on a thermometer. Don't let the mixture boil.

Remove the curd from the heat; stir in the lemon zest. Transfer the curd to a bowl. Press plastic wrap on the surface of the lemon curd to keep a skin from forming and chill the curd in the refrigerator. The curd will thicken further as it cools. Covered tightly, it will keep in the refrigerator for a week and in the freezer for 2 months.